Meteor City strikes again! A smoking, greasy, dirty treasure of an album, laden with Hendrix-style riffs and southern-fried chops from the Leslie West via COC school of heavy and fueled by a retro-punk ethic. Driven pushes beyond the psychedelic boogie of the Solarized 1999 debut Neanderthal Speedway to deliver another satisfying platter of what leadman James Hogan and Co. do so well -- mix aggression and hallucinogenic smear without apology or relief.
These are 12 tracks from the soundtrack to a millenial remake of Easy Rider, but Driven is no laid-back acid collage. "Stab Your Back" hearkens savagely to Iggy Pop and "Firefight"'s pyrotechnic rhythms detonate in quick order -- no room for space travel in this brawl-made-music. "Southbound" returns to the undulating asphalt, its bass coiled under tasty slide work like a Texas sidwinder in this mean muscled instrumental. "Conspiracy" fires dual guitars over a businesslike groove, and "World Without End" kicks along like 80s-era LA hardcore. Well worth the money.